JUST a matter of months after taking up powerlifting, Porscha Johnson is on top of the world, winning a global title and breaking numerous records along the way. 

The youngster, a Year 10 pupil at Bolton School Girls’ Division, competed for Great Britain at the GPC World Championships in Slovakia, taking gold in the Under 60kg/Under 16 category.

She started powerlifting just seven months earlier,  initially to help her training for athletics and cycling.

Porscha earned her world crown while representing Great Britain at an international competition in Slovakia. At 14 years old, she was not only the youngest person on Team GB but also the youngest in the whole competition. Nonetheless, she won the gold medal in her class, breaking two world records and two European records along the way.

The multi-talented Porscha also competes at national level in athletics, specialising in the hurdles, and velodrome cycling and she took up powerlifting in April in order to build up her strength for these sports.

However, after just one training session at Kaos Strength Gym in Preston, her coach, Rhianon Lovelace, was so impressed she entered her in the British qualifier.

She began training two days a week and, just eight weeks later, she entered the British qualifier at The Strength Factory in Bolton. She not only won her class (Under 56kg/Under 16) but also set three British records, in the squat (90kg), bench press (40kg) and deadlift (a massive 120kg).

Porscha progressed to the British Powerlifting Championships, held in Bristol in August, where she won the Under 56kg/Under 16 category and became a British Champion.

In addition, she set two world records, lifting 100kg in the squat and 125kg in the deadlift.

After this success, she was invited to represent Great Britain in October’s GPC World Championships in Slovakia.

By the time this competition came, Porscha had moved up a weight category due to natural growth to compete in the Under 60kg/Under 16 class.

She went on to win the gold in her new category and even set new world records in squat (110.5kg) and deadlift (128kg).

This means Porscha now holds four world, two European and three British records across two different weight categories.

Porscha has not only enjoyed powerlifting success this year.

In May she finished third in the hurdles at the Greater Manchester Championships and also competed in her first omnium at the Manchester Velodrome, where she achieved an amazing win in her Keirin race.

As well as studying for her GCSEs, Porscha continues to train six nights a week in all three sports, preparing for next year’s Nationals and British Championships.